


Tea, Family, and Pianos

by Princess_sized



Category: SKAM (Italy)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Marti meets Nico’s mamma again, Nicotino - Freeform, also nico plays the piano because obviously, just so much fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-01 01:44:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17235086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Princess_sized/pseuds/Princess_sized
Summary: Marti isn’t nervous, okay?.The scene we should’ve been blessed with. This takes place the day after the holiday party at the end of s2 - where Marti meets Nico’s mom again.





	Tea, Family, and Pianos

Marti isn’t nervous, okay? He’s not. Nico has been sending him reassuring texts all morning - something he knows Nico hates because of his stupid dinosaur phone. And while Marti definitely appreciates the gesture, it isn’t because he is nervous. It’s just nice to have a boyfriend who texts him when it isn’t easy to do so.

_Ni <3 _

_It’s going to be fine_

_I promise my mom is really nice I’ve told her so many good things about you she’s practically in love with you already_

_I love you_

_You don’t have to come if you don’t want - we can do something else_

Really, Marti should have texted him something other than ‘ _see_ _you_ _soon_ _< 3_’ and probably sooner if that last text is anything to go by. He knows this, of course he does, but it’s just.. well.. he’s just.. okay. Maybe he is a little nervous.

The bus ride to Nico’s is becoming a familiar one at this point and Marti takes a moment to absolutely _soar_ at the thought. It’s that familiarity and the soaring that helps to calm some of his nerves, at least for a while. Nico is probably right, it is probably going to be fine. Marti knows that Nico’s mom is a good person. He knows why she was so upset the last time they had ‘met’. He understands.

This is the mantra he repeats in his head as he walks up the stairs that lead to Nico’s front door. He takes a moment to himself - a deep breath and a hand through his hair to make sure it’s not sticking up anywhere. The shaky exhale is enough to confirm his nerves - yes, he’s admitting it now, okay? He’s nervous - but he also decides that it’s now or never and somehow gathers the courage to knock on the door. Nico’s mom is a good person. She was upset last time. He understands.

Nico is there a moment later and his warm smile is enough to make Marti melt and for a moment he forgets the nerves, the mantra in his head, and anything else except for the fact that his boyfriend is smiling at him. There has got to be a point when that smile doesn’t affect him so much, but Marti doesn’t see that happening anytime soon.

“Ciao.” Nico is trying to control his voice, keep it low and soothing - Marti can tell and his heart lifts at the idea of his boyfriend wanting so badly to make sure he is as comfortable as possible. It doesn’t take a second thought for Marti to decide to lean in and respond to the greeting with a quick but firm kiss, forgoing a spoken response all together.

They pull away from each other a moment too soon for Marti’s liking and Nico’s hand immediately reaches out in search of his own. Then the warm smile from Nico turns to a slightly nervous one. There really isn’t a big difference between the two smiles, anyone else probably wouldn’t even have noticed the slight shift. But Marti has spent as much time as possible this last week memorizing Nico so he catches the shift instantly. Before he can ask what’s wrong, he remembers why he’s actually here. He’s meeting Nico’s mom today. Again. Right. A deep breath and a squeeze around his fingers and he’s actually starting to feel better about all of this. With Nico’s hand in his own, Marti is pretty sure he could be brave enough to do anything.

“Come on, mom’s in the kitchen. Lunch is going to be ready soon.”

Marti finally steps into the apartment, closing the door behind him and heading towards the kitchen with Nico’s hand still in his own. “You didn’t help her with the cooking did you?”

Nico scoffs and tilts his head to the side, pretending to be more offended than he actually is. “Excuse me? I am a _fantastic_ cook!”

Marti can’t help but laugh in response - teasing Nico is just too much fun. “I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, Ni. But I wouldn’t even feed your carbonara to a stray cat.”

They reached the kitchen just in time for Nico’s mom to pick up on the last comment and she lets out a laugh that startles Marti back to reality. He can get so lost in Nico, sometimes. He instantly regrets his teasing - fearing that Nico’s mom will take it as more evidence as to how bad he is for her son. Maybe he should apologize or take it back - but before he can even begin to apologize, she is turning around to greet them and continues the conversation.

“You let him cook for you? I’m so sorry, I promise I have no idea where he gets his atrocious cooking skills from.” She’s smiling and trying to fight back her laughter as she approaches them. She then reaches out to grab Nico’s cheek between her fingers and continues. “Where did I go wrong with you?”

Nico shrugs off his mom’s attention but even Marti can see his smile and once again, the fondness in his heart is back. Yeah - he’s not getting used to that smile anytime soon.

Marti turns then to greet her and suddenly his nerves are back. He still has his right hand clasped with Nico’s and isn’t sure if he could let go even if he wanted to which poses the problem - how to shake her hand in greeting. Should he just extend his left hand? Lean in for an embrace? He could do a little wave, maybe?

It could be the look of utter confusion and anxiety on his face that she takes pity on, it could be her way of trying to make him feel more welcome, or it could simply be that Nico and his family just don’t care about social standards or boundaries. Whatever her intention, Marti is completely thrown off when Anna steps into his space, holds onto his upper arms with both of her hands and embraces him, kissing both of his cheeks. He barely responds to the embrace and must look like the definition of awkward because her next words are low and warm, spoken directly to him.

“Ciao, Marti. It’s good to see you again.”

The warm smile staring back at him instantly calms most of the nerves that just moments ago were waging war inside him. It occurs to him then that she and Nico share the same smile so it’s no wonder the simple gesture was enough to make him feel better. Marti finds himself relaxing and he’s able to actually respond this time.

“Ciao, Anna. Thanks for inviting me for lunch.”

“Well, it sounds like I had to in order to restore this family’s reputation.”

“Oi!”

The offended gasp from Nico isn’t taken seriously by anyone in the room, including Nico, because it is accompanied by a shiteating grin and laugh from the boy.

“If you two are just going to gang up on me, then I think I’m going to regret you two spending more time together.”

Anna is laughing at her son again and turning around to check on the food before motioning the two boys to the table.

“Always so dramatic, dear. Come now, let’s have some lunch.”

—————————

“Darling, play us something, won't you?”

Lunch had been great. Anna was right - Nico’s cooking abilities were the opposite of his mother’s. Not only had the food been great, but the conversation wasn’t as awkward as Marti had anticipated. They had all laughed and chatted - Anna asked Marti about school and the radio program, Marti asked her about her work, and Nico lamented that he was being left out.

All in all, it had been a great afternoon.

They were now in the living room, Marti and Nico on the couch and Anna in one of the arm chairs. Marti had insisted on making them all tea, seeing as how Anna had made the food, and they were all on their second cup when the request came.

“Mom, I’m comfortable.”

To further his point, Nico snuggles deeper into the couch and deeper into Marti’s side, wrapping his arms around Marti’s middle.

“I’d actually love to hear you play. I’ve never seen - you’ve not ever played for me.”

Marti was planning on telling Nico at some point that yeah, he’d actually seen Nico play before, back when his creeping had gotten desperate and he had found that video. The memory was enough to make Marti blush and duck his head, in the hopes of hiding his reddening cheeks. Maybe he would wait to tell Nico, at least wait until his mom wasn’t there to hear the embarrassment as well.

“Please, Ni?”

Nico lets out what can only be described as a dramatic sigh before pushing himself off of the couch and mumbling something about not being able to deny when the nicknames come out. Marti makes a mental note to remember that - wondering what else he could get Nico to do just by calling him by the nickname.

It’s quickly become second nature for both of them to kiss the other goodbye, even when one of them is just moving to the other side of the living room, so Marti tilts his head up at the same time that Nico leans down and their lips meet for just a moment. Nico makes a show of rolling his eyes before turning away and walking over to the piano that sits just outside his bedroom door. When he sits at the bench, he takes a few moments to decide what to play and then, without warning, a beautiful melody fills the room around them.

Marti is entranced. The video he had seen had been one thing, but to see Nico play in person was something no camera could ever capture. His whole body moves with the notes that his fingers create and Marti isn’t even blinking - afraid to miss any part of the beauty before him.

He feels rather than sees Anna move from her chair to join him on the couch. She sits close enough that he can feel the cushion move beside him but he still watches Nico, only seeing her out of the corner of her eye.

“There are so many things I want to say to you.”

Her voice is low, so low that Marti is sure Nico can’t hear her speak over the music filling the room. This is meant just for him to hear.

“So many things. I want to thank you for what you’ve done for him this past week. You mean so much to him and seeing him happy is all I ever want. But, and you know this, he isn’t always happy. And I want to tell you that it isn’t always easy, but that you don’t have to do it alone.”

She pauses. Marti is still staring at Nico, watching his hands glide over the keys, still listening as the notes fill the air all around them, and he is reminding himself to breathe.

“But mostly I want to apologize to you. The last time we met - Milan - all of it. I feel so terrible. I want you to know that his well being will always come first to me, but I am so sorry if you were hurt in the crossfire.”

Her voice has changed just slightly. Marti doesn’t have to turn his head to know that she has wet eyes and a genuine expression- he can hear it. He hears it just like he hears the music around them. He couldn’t look away from Nico if he tried, but still he responds, in a voice low enough for only Anna to hear.

“You don’t have to apologize or feel bad - I get it, honestly I do. I’ve only know him for a few weeks and already I want to do anything I can to protect him - to make sure he’s okay. I can only imagine how much you also want that.”

There is no response for a few moments. They both are just sitting and enjoying the song Nico is playing. The boy is so lost in the piece he’s playing - completely oblivious to the conversation happening a few feet away from him. There’s a chord that harmonizes in just the right way and Marti feels himself beam with pride for the talent his boyfriend has.

It’s then that Anna reaches out and takes one of Marti’s hands into her own. For the first time since he started playing, Marti’s eyes leave Nico and focus on the hand clasped around his own. Her nails are longer and painted, there’s a ring on her first finger that looks worn and old, but they are the same fingers that make Marti feel brave - like he can do anything. So Marti lifts his gaze and meets Anna’s eyes. Neither of them speak, but they stare into each other’s eyes for the last minute or so of the song.

It’s only when the last note fades away that their eyes part. With their hands still folded together, Marti and Anna look over to Nico sitting at the piano. They’re both smiling with pride and they watch as he stretches his back. A moment later and his hands fall to the keys again, ready to start a new song. It only takes a few notes for Marti to recognize the song from the video and he instantly decides that being here, listening in person, next to the one other person who loves the boy playing just as much as he does, is very much how he prefers to hear it.

**Author's Note:**

> And there we have it! My interpretation on the scene we should’ve be blessed with. This is my first nicotino piece and my first time posting on ao3! :)


End file.
